CAULIFLOWER
POWER
Greg Baxtrom, the
chef and owner of
Brooklyn restaurants
Olmsted and Maison
Yaki, isn’t a pancake
person, at least not
when it comes to
the sugary kind. But
savory is the other
side of the flapjack,
and that’s where
Baxtrom’s Cauli-
flower Okonomiyaki
(see recipe at right)
fits in. At Maison
Yaki, Baxtrom melds
Japanese techniques
with French flavors
for a hybrid that re-
flects his restaurant’s
identity. He tops the
pancake with yuzu
mayonnaise and
hazelnuts and makes
cauliflower the star
of the dish, using the
vegetable in three
different ways: Big,
flat pieces are tossed
in with the batter,
medium-size bits
are pureed, and tiny
scraps the size of
couscous are sprin-
kled on top of the
finished pancake. The
varying textures help
cauliflower come
through in every bite.